7 Hats: a thinking tool
that saves time
and nerves
For freelancers and teams, quick decisions are routine: take a client or not, launch or postpone an idea, accept new terms or seek alternatives. The problem: we often think chaotically — emotions mix with facts, criticism with enthusiasm, and creativity gets lost.
The 7 Thinking Hats method by Edward de Bono helps separate these “modes” and look at an issue from all sides.
How does it work?
Imagine putting on different hats, and each one makes you think in a certain way. When all participants (or even you alone) “wear” the same hat at the same time, the discussion becomes clean, focused, and effective.
6 hats + integration
White — facts, numbers, data. Without interpretation.
Red — emotions, intuition, gut feelings.
Black — risks, weaknesses, “what might go wrong.”
Yellow — optimism, benefits, opportunities.
Green — creativity, new ideas, alternatives.
Blue — process management, structure, conclusions.
Seventh — meta-position: integrating all the above into a complete decision.
A freelancer gets a request from a client: build a website in a very short time.
White: What’s my current workload and deadlines?
Red: I feel this client might be pushy.
Black: Risk of missing the deadline, negative feedback.
Yellow: If successful, it’s a strong portfolio case.
Green: Maybe suggest a phased launch or partial delivery first.
Blue: Decision — I’ll take it, but only with a clear agreement and extra payment for urgency.
The result: not chaotic, but well-balanced.
Unusual but useful applications
“Mini-team in your head.” If you work solo, this method becomes self-coaching: facts about the client, gut feelings, risks, benefits, creative options, final decision. It helps remove rose-colored glasses — or see an opportunity where doubts dominated.
Agile retrospectives. Dev teams often use the hats as a different retro format: instead of “what went well/badly,” there are six columns — facts, positives, negatives, ideas, emotions, conclusions. It brings a fuller picture and livens up meetings.
Educational and creative groups. In schools and workshops, the method is turned into a game: participants take turns wearing different roles and look at the topic from all angles. This trains the ability to accept multiple perspectives without conflict.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
❌ Roles = people. Assigning a “permanent critic” or “eternal optimist” makes the method a caricature.
✔️ Correct: everyone switches hats together.
❌ No timing. You can get stuck in one mode and lose momentum.
✔️ Correct: set a timer and move on, even if the topic isn’t finished.
❌ Biased moderator. If the blue hat belongs to the boss, they might manipulate the flow.
✔️ Correct: agree on the sequence upfront or share the role.
❌ Overly artificial. If the team doesn’t get “why this game,” it feels awkward.
✔️ Correct: start with a small 10–15 min case to show how it works.
Digital tools
The method also works perfectly online:
Miro/Mural. Ready-made templates with six columns for team input.
Notion. Interactive boards for brainstorming in the “hat” format.
Task managers. Ideas from the session can be directly converted into tasks.
The strength of “7 Hats” is that it teaches you to think holistically: combining facts, emotions, ideas, and risks into one decision. That’s what makes it equally useful for solo players and teams.
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